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George Washington High School (San Francisco)

George Washington High School is a public high school in the Richmond District of San Francisco, California. The campus occupies the highest ground in the neighborhood, south of Geary Boulevard between 30th and 32nd Avenues, with a sweeping view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the athletic fields.[2] Presidio Middle School, also a public school, is located kitty-corner to the campus.

George Washington High School
Address
Map
600 32nd Avenue

San Francisco
,
California
94121

United States
Coordinates37°46′40.13″N 122°29′31.24″W / 37.7778139°N 122.4920111°W / 37.7778139; -122.4920111
Information
MottoOf all victories first and greatest is for a man to conquer himself - Plato
EstablishedAugust 4, 1936
School districtSan Francisco Unified School District
PrincipalJohn Schlauraff
Faculty86.88 (FTE)[1]
Enrollment2,036 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.43[1]
CampusUrban
Color(s)Red and Gray   
MascotEagle
Websitewww.sfusd.edu/school/george-washington-high-school

The school was opened in 1936. Its lobby is decorated with 13 murals in "buon fresco" style by Victor Arnautoff, a student of Diego Rivera, that were commissioned by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal projects for public buildings. Titled Life of Washington, the murals depict scenes from the life of George Washington. Intended to teach students about the realities of history,[3][4] they include representations of Black slaves and white indentured servants on Washington's estate and, in a panel criticizing the notion of Manifest Destiny, a depiction of a prostrate Native American. The San Francisco Board of Education voted in 2019 to remove the murals as offensive.[5] After protests, the school board's resolution was ruled unlawful in 2021 and was rescinded in 2022.

History

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The City of San Francisco set aside $2 million in 1930 to build a high school to serve the Richmond District, its seventh public high school and most expensive school at that time. The three-story academic building was designed by Timothy L. Pflueger and inspired by Washington's home in Virginia, Mount Vernon.[2] It was planned to accommodate 3,000 students.[6] Arnautoff was assisted by George Harris and Gorden Langdon in his work on the murals,[6] and the school also has mural work by Ralph Stackpole, Robert Boardman Howard, and Lucien Labaudt,[7] and bas relief faces by Arnautoff of Washington, Thomas Edison, and William Shakespeare above the main doors.[4][8] A bas relief frieze on the wall of the football stadium, Athletics, is by Beniamino Bufano and Sargent Johnson.[6]

Washington High School opened on August 4, 1936 (reportedly before the classrooms were furnished);[2][6] the stadium, auditorium, and gymnasium were added in 1940, and the school was formally dedicated on Armistice Day 1940. The first principal, Ernest J. Cummings, served until 1945 when he became Deputy Superintendent of Secondary Schools.[6]

The school song, the Washington Hymn, was written by student Tillie Miesles, class of 1937, with a 1947 addition by teacher Marion Knott.[6][9]

Arnautoff murals controversy

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Main article: Life of Washington

The murals by Victor Arnautoff in the school lobby attracted criticism for the realistic depiction of the African-American slaves and white indentured servants that George Washington had on his Mount Vernon estate,[10] and for an allegorical depiction, in a mural intended as a criticism of the concept of Manifest Destiny, of four pioneers treading over and beside a dead Native American. In 1974 the school added three murals by Dewey Crumpler to assuage complaints, and Crumpler has said that the students at that time apologized for their failure to understand the intent of the works and the devices used by Arnautoff to convey the realities of history.[11]

In June 2019, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to paint over the Arnautoff murals,[5][12][13] There was broad opposition, including from the National Coalition Against Censorship,[14] the College Art Association,[15] and in an open letter signed by 400 scholars and artists.[16] San Francisco Heritage, a non-profit devoted to preserving the city's artistic and architectural legacy, proposed the school be designated a city landmark on the basis of this and other features.[17] The school's alumni association expressed support for the murals.[18] Alice Walker, whose daughter attended the school, suggested that explanations be added to provide context: "If you cover things up, the danger is that you will end up in the same place again, and you won’t even recognize it."[19]

The school board voted to instead conceal the Arnautoff murals with curtains or panels,[20] but on September 24, 2021, the San Francisco Superior Court determined that its decisions to either destroy or cover the murals violated environmental law and must be reversed.[18] The school board appealed the decision, but after a successful recall of many members, the new board voted in June 2022 to rescind its decision to conceal the murals.[20]

Demographics

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2020-2021[21]

White Latino Asian African American Pacific Islander American Indian Two or More Races
11.1% 15% 60.8% 4.6% 0.4% 0.3% 4.3%

According to U.S. News & World Report, 92% of the school's student body is "of color", with 62% of the student body coming from an economically disadvantaged household, determined by student eligibility for California's reduced-price meal program.[22]

Facilities

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A. E. Lubamersky Industrial Arts Center

The school has computer labs, an auditorium/theater, a library, and a two-story shop building. Athletics facilities include a gymnasium, a football/soccer field and a multipurpose field, 6 tennis courts, 3 full-sized and 1 half-sized basketball courts, track and field facilities, and facilities for baseball/softball including 2 batting cages, a front toss cage, and a bullpen.

Academics

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In 2011, Washington High was ranked by Newsweek as the 497th best high school in the United States.[23] The curriculum includes a variety of advanced Visual Performing Arts classes including: Dance Company, Ceramics, Vocal Music, Band and Orchestra, Computer Art and AP Art and Design. There is a computer lab and a Computer Science pathway, plus courses in Robotics. Washington is one of only two San Francisco public high schools with a Marching Band, the other being Phillip & Sala Burton High School.

The school is a Newcomer Pathway school that serves students who have recently arrived in the United States, primarily from China and Latin America. There is also an extensive program for special needs students, who comprise about 10% of the student population.

Sports

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Detail of Athletics frieze on the stadium, completed in 1942 by Sargent Johnson

The George Washington High athletic program is governed by the Academic Athletic Association and sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation. The school supports 20 varsity, 7 junior varsity, and freshman-sophomore athletics programs. It is the only San Francisco public high school with girls' and boys' lacrosse teams. Sports offered include: cross country, track and field, swimming, fencing, wrestling, badminton, baseball, softball, basketball, football, cheerleading, boys' and girls' golf, boys' and girls' lacrosse, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' tennis, and boys' and girls' volleyball. The school has won a number of league championships.[24]

In media

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In season five, episode five (1976) of the TV series The Streets of San Francisco, Maureen McCormick plays a teenage hooker attending the school. Two scenes show the school and its view of the Golden Gate Bridge.[citation needed]

In 1981 the Pacific News Service aired a story about race-based gangs at George Washington High School.[25]

In 1992, for a San Francisco Chronicle series intended to explore the impact of reduced school funding resulting from Proposition 13's reduction of property taxes, a 26-year-old reporter, Shann Nix, went undercover as a senior at Washington High School.[26][27][28]

Notable alumni

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Senior graduation, 2005
 
Senior graduation, 2006

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Washington (George) High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Hartlaub, Peter (November 16, 2023). "This S.F. high school football field has world-class views. Many don't know it exists". San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ Smith, Roberta (July 26, 2019). "The Case for Keeping San Francisco's Disputed George Washington Murals". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2019. Arnautoff signaled the country's underlying crimes by taking a more critical view of Washington's life, portraying his ownership of slaves and his support of the genocidal Western expansion.
  4. ^ a b Cherny, Robert W. (2017). Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art. University of Illinois Press. pp. 108–12. ISBN 9780252082306.
  5. ^ a b Tucker, Jill; Wu, Gwendolyn (April 7, 2019). "Offensive or important? Debate flares anew over SF school mural depicting slavery". SFGate.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "George Washington High School". Outside Lands (From the 1947 issue of the school yearbook, The Surveyor). Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Historic Preservation Commission Resolution No. 910" (PDF). San Francisco Planning Department. October 18, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "George Washington High School, San Francisco, California". New Deal Art Registry.
  9. ^ "Washington Hymn". wigowsky.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Sarah B. (April 9, 2019). "Historic WPA murals at George Washington High School are facing destruction due to controversial depictions of Native Americans and African-Americans". Richmond District Blog. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Davis, Ben (July 10, 2019). "This Artist Painted the Black Radical Response to the George Washington Slaveholder Murals. Here's Why He Is Against Destroying Them". Artnet News. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  12. ^ "Controversial George Washington mural to be painted over at San Francisco high school". CBS News. Associated Press. July 4, 2019.
  13. ^ Pogash, Carol (April 11, 2019). "These High School Murals Depict an Ugly History. Should They Go?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Letter to Superintendent Matthews" (PDF). National Coalition Against Censorship. May 6, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "CAA Statement on the Removal of WPA Murals by Victor Arnautoff". College Art Association. July 9, 2019.
  16. ^ "Open Letter on the Proposed Destruction of a Mural Cycle". Nonsite.org. July 2, 2019.
  17. ^ "George Washington High School 'Life Of Washington' Mural" (PDF). San Francisco Heritage. April 17, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019. Heritage commissioned the City Landmark nomination for George Washington High School, co-authored by Donna Graves and Christopher VerPlanck, which comprehensively documents the school's public art and architecture, including Victor Arnautoff's 'Life of Washington' (1936) mural.
  18. ^ a b "Press Release: George Washington High School Alumni Association Victor Arnautoff Mural Victorious CEQA Court Ruling Statement Release". Richmond Review / Sunset Beacon. October 1, 2021.
  19. ^ Pogash, Carol (August 21, 2019). "Alice Walker Defends George Washington Murals". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Tucker, Jill (June 22, 2022). "Post-recall S.F. school board rescinds vote to cover controversial Washington High mural". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "Enrollment by Ethnicity - Washington (George) High (CA Dept of Education)". dq.cde.ca.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  22. ^ "George Washington High School in San Francisco, CA". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. 2011. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
  24. ^ "AAA ANNUAL CHAMPIONS BY YEAR" (PDF). CIF San Francisco. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2014.
  25. ^ Craig, Pauline (April 7, 1981). "High school groups: Punks, Cholos, Blood [sic]". Merced Sun-Star. Pacific News Service. p. 2.
  26. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (March 26, 2024). "A Chronicle reporter went undercover in high school. Everyone is still weighing the fallout". San Francisco Chronicle. With link to original articles.
  27. ^ ""Undercover Student" - Shann Nix - San Francisco Chronicle". Deception For Journalism's Sake: A Database. New York University. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  28. ^ Kroeger, Brooke (2012). Undercover Reporting: The Truth About Deception. Visions of the American Press. Evanston, Illinois: Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University Press. p. 243. ISBN 9780810126190.
  29. ^ Ford, David (February 15, 2002). "Profile / Diane Amos / Making a tidy living as Pine-Sol Lady". SFGate. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  30. ^ Kennedy, Charles (May 14, 2001). "AMBASSADOR JOSIAH BEEMAN" (PDF). Association For Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Projects. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  31. ^ "BURTON, Phillip | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  32. ^ Editors, Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. (Retrieved May 3, 2018.)
  33. ^ Knight, Heather (October 13, 2000). "Right on Tee / Playing golf or singing karaoke, Dorothy Delasin knows thescore". SFGate. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  34. ^ "O'Koyea Dickson - 2011 - Baseball". Sonoma State University Athletics.
  35. ^ "Sheriff Richard Hongisto, the Notable Exception". History of the San Francisco Sheriff's Department. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  36. ^ "Lynx: Lynx Player Profile: Amanda Lassiter #24". www.losangelessparks.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  37. ^ "Lassiter's hard work paying off in the long run". The San Francisco Examiner. February 7, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  38. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (September 23, 2015). "Johnny Mathis was singing a different tune as a high jumper". SFGate. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  39. ^ Luschek, Matthew (February 21, 2011). "Hall of Famer Ollie Matson Dies". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  40. ^ "Lee Meriwether: The life of a City College alumna – The Guardsman". theguardsman.com. December 10, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  41. ^ Baker, Kenneth (November 19, 2010). "Nathan Oliveria - Giant on Bay Area Art Scene". San Francisco Chronicle.
  42. ^ Fagan, Kevin (September 11, 2011). "Betty Ong's family remembers". SFGate. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  43. ^ Pendergast, Thomas (May 4, 2019). "Mural Opponents Meet Defenders at Tour of George Washington H.S. Artwork". Richmond Review. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  44. ^ "Jim Sochor, former UC Davis football coach, dies at 77". SFGate. November 25, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  45. ^ "Jim Sochor". Davis Enterprise. December 4, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  46. ^ Ortiz, Jorge (August 1, 2002). "Phil Smith, 1952-2002 / Bay Area star had complete package". SFGate. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
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